October 1, 2024

Hello Rick and Maria,

In the very early years of the Zentangle Method, Rick and Maria were invited to teach a series of classes at a school in Providence, Rhode Island. Before each class, Rick and Maria showed them examples of completed Zentangle tiles. "No way we can do that!" was the common response.

Ten to twenty minutes into each class, the students were tangling away, delighted with the results of their efforts and excited to learn more. This led Rick and Maria to ask the students, "What else do you know that you can't do?"

Rick asked the students if they could build the school. They all said with conviction, "No!" He then asked if they could hammer a nail... they could. He asked if they could pull the lever on a crane… they could. He asked if they could lay down the carpet… they could. While they thought that they could not build a school, they soon realized that they could effectively build a school if they focused on each individual step, one at a time.

While they originally thought they could not create beautiful art, they soon learned that they could put down simple and repetitive strokes one at a time, and sure enough, create beautiful work.

It was from this series of classes that one of Zentangle’s most important and beloved philosophies and mottos was born:

Anything Is Possible One Stroke at a Time.™

We could not celebrate Zentangle’s 20^th Anniversary without honoring this impactful philosophy. After all, it is with one thoughtful and deliberate stroke at a time that Zentangle, Inc. has grown over the past twenty years.

Rick and Maria always had big dreams for the Zentangle Method, but never imagined it would have created the impact that it has today. One thing that they did know was that they could not make a grand impact without first taking a small step. Once shared in a small school in Providence, Rhode Island, the Zentangle Method is now shared in schools across the world. From schools to health care facilities, prisons, mental health offices and communities far and wide, the method touches the lives of people of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures.

This month we will honor the philosophy that Anything is Possible . . . One Stroke at a Time. We will celebrate how far we have come by looking back at where we began and all the ways that this philosophy spills over into our everyday lives.

Do you have an Anything Is Possible One Stroke at a Time story? We want to hear it! Submit your story by clicking below.

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Anything Is Possible...One Stroke at a Time Mantra Band

20th Anniversary Journal Project

Starting a big Zentangle project can feel a little daunting. You may ask yourself, how am I going to finish?

One stroke at a time.

Open to a blank page in your journal and fill the entire page with a string, creating many different spaces for tangles. Over the course of this month, celebrate Anything Is Possible One Stroke at a Time by filling your spaces one at a time, slowly and deliberately. By the end of the month, you will have filled the entire page, one stroke at a time.

Learn More about the 20th Anniversary Journal Project here.